KR102525021B1 - Vaporizer and aerosol-generating apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A vaporizer having a design for preventing airflow pipe clogging and an aerosol generating device including the vaporizer are provided. A vaporizer according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a liquid reservoir for storing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a wick for absorbing the stored aerosol-forming substrate, and a heating element for generating an aerosol by heating the absorbed aerosol-forming substrate. and an air flow pipe having a liquid absorbent disposed on an inner wall and conveying the generated aerosol toward the mouthpiece. The liquid absorbent disposed on the inner wall of the airflow pipe functions as a drainage channel, thereby preventing the airflow pipe from clogging.

Description

Vaporizer and aerosol generating device including the same {VAPORIZER AND AEROSOL-GENERATING APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME}

The present disclosure relates to a vaporizer and an aerosol generating device including the same. More specifically, it relates to a vaporizer to which a design for preventing airflow pipe clogging and liquid droplet discharge is applied, and an aerosol generating device including the same.

In recent years there has been a growing demand for alternative methods that overcome the disadvantages of conventional cigarettes. For example, there is an increasing demand for devices that generate an aerosol by heating a liquid aerosol-forming substrate (e.g. liquid-type electronic cigarettes). Accordingly, research on liquid-type aerosol generating devices is being actively conducted.

In general, a liquid-type aerosol-generating device generates an aerosol by heating a liquid absorbed through a wick with a heating element. The generated aerosol is delivered in the direction of the mouthpiece through the airflow tube.

However, during liquid phase vaporization, droplets generated in the wick may flow into the airflow pipe or aerosols may be condensed inside the airflow pipe. In addition, the introduced liquid droplets and aerosol condensate may adhere to the inner wall of the air flow pipe to form a liquid film. The liquid film formed in this way blocks the airflow path or is discharged to the outside of the airflow pipe by the negative pressure instantaneously formed by the puff, causing considerable discomfort during smoking.

US Patent Application Publication No. US2011/0226236 US Patent Application Publication No. US2014/0109905

A technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a vaporizer and an aerosol generating device including the same to which a design for preventing airflow pipe clogging and droplet discharge is applied.

Another technical problem to be solved through some embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide an aerosol generating device having a power control function in consideration of a droplet generation phenomenon and an atomization amount, and a power control method thereof.

The technical problems of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

In order to solve the above technical problem, the vaporizer according to some embodiments of the present disclosure includes a liquid reservoir for storing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate, a wick for absorbing the stored aerosol-forming substrate, and forming the absorbed aerosol. It may include a heating element that heats the substrate to generate aerosol, and an airflow tube having a liquid absorbent disposed on an inner wall and delivering the generated aerosol toward the mouthpiece.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the liquid absorber may be made of a hydrophilic material.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the liquid absorber may be made of a porous material.

In some embodiments, at least a portion of the liquid absorber may be made of filter paper or a fiber material.

In some embodiments, the wick may be disposed in a lower direction of the airflow pipe, and the liquid absorber may be disposed on a lower inner wall of the airflow pipe.

In some embodiments, the wick may be disposed in a lower direction of the airflow pipe, and the liquid absorber may be disposed to extend downward from a specific position on an inner wall of the airflow pipe.

In some embodiments, a surface treatment to increase wettability may be performed on a specific region of the inner wall of the airflow pipe, and the liquid absorber may be disposed in the specific region.

According to various embodiments of the present disclosure described above, the liquid absorber may be disposed on the inner wall of the airflow pipe. The liquid absorber functions as a drain that absorbs the liquid adhered to the inner wall of the airflow pipe and discharges it in the direction of gravity, thereby preventing clogging of the airflow pipe and liquid droplet discharge. Accordingly, the user's satisfaction with smoking can be improved.

Effects according to the technical spirit of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

1 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
2 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically illustrating a vaporizer according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
3 is an exemplary diagram for explaining a droplet generation phenomenon, an airflow pipe clogging phenomenon, and a droplet discharge phenomenon.
4 and 5 are experimental results for explaining the relationship between supply power, droplet generation and atomization amount.
6 and 7 are diagrams for explaining an airflow pipe to which a design for preventing airflow pipe clogging and liquid droplet discharge according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is applied.
8 is a view for explaining an airflow pipe to which a design for preventing airflow pipe clogging and liquid droplet discharge is applied according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.
9 is a view for explaining an airflow pipe to which a design for preventing airflow pipe clogging and liquid droplet discharge is applied according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.
10 and 11 are diagrams for explaining a wick to which a droplet prevention design is applied according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
12 and 13 are exemplary flowcharts illustrating a power control method of an aerosol generating device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
14 and 15 illustrate another type of aerosol-generating device to which a vaporizer according to some embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Advantages and features of the present disclosure, and methods of achieving them, will become clear with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments and can be implemented in various different forms, and only the following embodiments complete the technical idea of the present disclosure, and in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs. It is provided to completely inform those skilled in the art of the scope of the present disclosure, and the technical spirit of the present disclosure is only defined by the scope of the claims.

In adding reference numerals to components of each drawing, it should be noted that the same components have the same numerals as much as possible even if they are displayed on different drawings. In addition, in describing the present disclosure, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present disclosure, the detailed description will be omitted.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification may be used with meanings commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. In addition, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not interpreted ideally or excessively unless explicitly specifically defined. Terminology used herein is for describing the embodiments and is not intended to limit the present disclosure. In this specification, singular forms also include plural forms unless specifically stated otherwise in a phrase.

Also, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used in describing the components of the present disclosure. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the nature, order, or order of the corresponding component is not limited by the term. When an element is described as being “connected,” “coupled to,” or “connected” to another element, that element is directly connected or connectable to the other element, but there is another element between the elements. It will be understood that elements may be “connected”, “coupled” or “connected”.

As used in this disclosure, "comprises" and/or "comprising" means that a stated component, step, operation, and/or element is one or more other components, steps, operations, and/or elements. Existence or additions are not excluded.

First, some terms used in various embodiments of the present disclosure will be clarified.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-forming substrate" may mean a material capable of forming an aerosol. Aerosols may contain volatile compounds. Aerosol-forming substrates may be solid or liquid. For example, the solid aerosol-forming substrate may include tobacco materials based on tobacco raw materials such as leaf tobacco, cut filler (e.g. leaf tobacco cut filler, leaf cut filler, etc.), and reconstituted tobacco, and the liquid aerosol-forming substrate may contain nicotine. , liquid compositions based on various combinations of tobacco extract, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin and/or various flavoring agents. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples listed above. In some embodiments, unless otherwise stated, liquid phase may refer to a liquid aerosol-forming substrate.

In the following embodiments, "aerosol-generating article" may mean an article capable of generating an aerosol. An aerosol-generating article may include an aerosol-forming substrate. A representative example of an aerosol-generating article would be a cigarette, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to this example.

In the following embodiments, an “aerosol generating device” may refer to an aerosol generating device using an aerosol forming substrate to generate an aerosol that can be directly inhaled into the user's lungs through the user's mouth. See FIGS. 1, 14 or 15 for examples of aerosol generating devices.

In the following embodiments, "puff" refers to a user's inhalation, and inhalation may refer to a situation in which the user's mouth or nose is pulled into the user's oral cavity, nasal cavity, or lungs. .

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is an exemplary configuration diagram schematically illustrating an aerosol generating device 100-1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the aerosol generating device 100-1 may include a mouthpiece 110, a vaporizer 1, a battery 130, and a controller 120. However, this is only a preferred embodiment for achieving the object of the present disclosure, and it goes without saying that some components may be added or omitted as needed. In addition, each component of the aerosol generating device 100-1 shown in FIG. 1 represents functionally differentiated functional elements, and a plurality of components are implemented in a form integrated with each other in an actual physical environment, or a single component An element may be implemented in a form in which a plurality of detailed functional elements are separated. Hereinafter, each component of the aerosol generating device 100-1 will be described.

The mouthpiece 110 may function as a mouthpiece that is positioned at one end of the aerosol generating device 100-1 and contacts the user's mouth. A user may inhale the aerosol generated from the vaporizer 1 through the mouthpiece 110 .

In some embodiments, the mouthpiece 110 may be integrally formed with the vaporizer 1 or may be a component attached to the vaporizer 1 .

Next, the vaporizer 1 may generate an aerosol by vaporizing the liquid aerosol-forming substrate. The structure of vaporizer 1 according to some embodiments is shown in FIG. 2 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the vaporizer 1 may include a liquid reservoir 11, a wick 12, a wick housing 13, a heating element 14, and an air flow pipe 15. However, this is only a preferred embodiment for achieving the object of the present disclosure, and it goes without saying that some components may be added or omitted as needed. Hereinafter, each component of the vaporizer 1 will be described.

The liquid storage tank 11 may have a predetermined space therein, and store the liquid aerosol-forming substrate 111 in the space. In addition, the liquid storage tank 11 may supply the stored aerosol-forming substrate 111 to the heating element 14 through the wick 12 .

The aerosol-forming substrate 111 may refer to a liquid composition including one or more aerosol-forming materials. For example, the aerosol-forming substrate 111 may include at least one of propylene glycol (PG) and glycerin (GLY), and may include ethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, and oleic acid. It may further contain at least one of one alcohol. As another example, the aerosol-forming substrate 111 may further include at least one of nicotine, moisture, and flavoring substances. As another example, the aerosol-forming substrate 111 may further include various additives such as cinnamon and capsaicin. The aerosol-forming substrate 111 may include a gel or solid material as well as a liquid material having high fluidity. In this way, the composition materials of the aerosol-forming substrate 111 may be variously selected, and the mixing ratio thereof may also be variously selected.

Next, the wick 12 may absorb the aerosol-forming substrate 111 stored in the liquid reservoir 11 and transfer it to the heating element 14 . The material and structure of the wick 12 may be variously designed in consideration of the droplet generation level, the amount of atomization, and/or the power condition of the device 100-1.

In some embodiments, wick 12 may be of a multiple (layer) structure. The multiple (layer) structure of the wick 12 can effectively suppress droplet generation, and the detailed structure of the wick 12 and the principle of suppressing droplet generation will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 later. .

Next, the wick housing 13 may refer to a housing surrounding at least a portion of the wick 12 . The material and/or characteristics of the wick housing 13 may be designed and selected in various ways.

Next, the heating element 14 may generate an aerosol by heating the aerosol-forming substrate 111 absorbed by the wick 12 . More specifically, when power from the battery 130 is supplied to the heating element 14 by the controller 120, the heating element 14 may operate to heat the absorbed aerosol-forming substrate 111.

The heating element 14 may be implemented in various forms. 2 and the like show that the heating element 14 is implemented in the form of a coil wound around at least a portion of the wick 12 as an example. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to these examples.

Next, the airflow pipe 15 may function as an airflow path through which gases such as aerosol and air are delivered. For example, an aerosol generated by the heating element 14 may be delivered in the direction of the mouthpiece 110 through the airflow tube 15 . However, FIG. 2 only assumes that the user's suction is made in the upper direction of the vaporizer 1, and the shape of the air flow pipe 15 depends on the design method of the aerosol generating device 100-1 and/or the air flow path. and delivery pathways may be modified. In some embodiments, one or more air holes or airflow pipes may be provided at the lower end of the vaporizer 1 to allow outside air to flow in. In this case, outside air introduced from the lower end of the vaporizer 1 may be mixed with the aerosol and delivered to the mouthpiece 110 through the air flow pipe 15.

In some embodiments, in order to prevent blocking of the airflow tube and discharge of liquid droplets to the outside of the airflow tube (ie, in the direction of the mouthpiece 110), a liquid absorbent is disposed inside the airflow tube 15 or has wettability properties. ) can be performed to increase the surface treatment. This embodiment will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 6 to 9 .

For reference, in the art, the vaporizer 1 may be used interchangeably with terms such as a cartomizer, an atomizer, or a cartridge.

Referring again to FIG. 1, the description of other components of the aerosol generating device 100-1 will be continued.

The battery 130 may supply power used for the operation of the aerosol generating device 100-1. For example, the battery 130 may supply power so that the heating element 14 can heat the aerosol-forming substrate 111, and may also supply power necessary for the controller 120 to operate.

In addition, the battery 130 is necessary for the operation of electrical components such as a display (not shown), a sensor (not shown), a motor (not shown), and an input device (not shown) installed in the aerosol generating device 100-1. can supply power.

Next, the controller 120 may control the overall operation of the aerosol generating device 100-1. For example, the controller 120 may control the operation of the vaporizer 1 and the battery 130, and may also control the operation of other components included in the aerosol generating device 100-1. The controller 120 may control the power supplied by the battery 130 and the heating temperature of the heating element 14 . In addition, the controller 120 may determine whether or not the aerosol generating device 100-1 is in an operable state by checking the state of each component of the aerosol generating device 100-1.

In some embodiments, the controller 120 may adjust power supplied to the heating element 14 based on the degree of droplet generation in the wick 12 . By doing so, clogging of the airflow pipe and discharge of liquid droplets to the outside of the airflow pipe (ie, in the direction of the mouthpiece 110) can be minimized. This embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 later.

The controller 120 may be implemented by at least one processor. The processor may be implemented as an array of a plurality of logic gates, or may be implemented as a combination of a general-purpose microprocessor and a memory in which programs executable by the microprocessor are stored. In addition, those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs may understand that the control unit 120 may be implemented in other types of hardware.

Meanwhile, in some embodiments, the aerosol generating device 100-1 may further include an input device (not shown) for receiving a user input. The input device may be implemented as a switch or button, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the controller 120 may control the aerosol generating device 100-1 in response to a user input received through an input device. For example, the controller 120 may control the aerosol generating device 100 - 1 to generate aerosol as the user operates a switch or button.

So far, the aerosol generating device 100-1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been generally described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 . Hereinafter, components of the vaporizer 1 to which a design for preventing airflow pipe clogging and liquid droplet discharge are applied will be described.

Prior to a full-fledged description, in order to provide convenience of understanding, a droplet generation phenomenon, an airflow pipe clogging phenomenon (hereinafter, abbreviated as “tube clogging phenomenon”) and a droplet discharge phenomenon to the outside of the airflow pipe 15, supply power and The relationship between the droplet generation phenomenon and the amount of atomization will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 .

First, the droplet generation phenomenon refers to a phenomenon in which droplets are generated in the wick 12 during vaporization, and the generated droplets flow into the air flow pipe 15 and may cause various problems. Droplets may be generated when bubbles rapidly grow inside the wick 12 or bubbles burst on the surface of the wick 12 . More specifically, when bubbles rapidly grow inside the wick 12, the absorbed liquid phase 111 may be explosively pushed out of the wick 12. can climb Alternatively, as bubbles generated on the surface of the wick 12 burst, the liquid phase 111 may bounce in the form of droplets.

This phenomenon of generating droplets may cause clogging by accelerating the growth of the liquid film inside the airflow pipe 15, which will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

As shown in FIG. 3 , droplets 112 generated from the wick 12 may be introduced into the airflow pipe 15, and the introduced droplets 112 may adhere to the inner wall of the airflow pipe 15 to form a liquid film. (114) can be formed. In addition, the condensate 113 generated as aerosol is condensed inside the air flow pipe 15 may also accelerate the formation and growth of the liquid film 114 . That is, the liquid film 114 may be formed by the droplets 112 and the condensate 113, and as the formed liquid film 114 grows, the inside of the airflow pipe 15 is blocked (see the right side of FIG. 3). ) can occur. This clogging phenomenon can greatly reduce sucking ability and amount of atomization by blocking the air flow path.

Next, the droplet discharge phenomenon refers to a phenomenon in which droplets are discharged toward the mouthpiece 110 through the air flow pipe 15 . Since the discharged droplets can cause considerable discomfort to the user when they flow into the user's mouth, the droplet discharge phenomenon is known as one of the main causes of lowering satisfaction with smoking together with leakage.

The droplet discharge phenomenon may occur in the following cases. For example, there may be cases in which the liquid droplets 112 introduced into the air flow pipe 15 are discharged to the outside as they are by the puff. Alternatively, there may be cases in which the liquid film 114 inside the air flow pipe 15 is discharged to the outside by the instantaneous negative pressure formed by the puff. In this case, since the size of the droplet may be considerably large, discomfort felt by the user may be doubled.

On the other hand, since the droplet generation phenomenon occurs during the vaporization process of the liquid phase 111 and the generation mechanism is very similar to that of the liquid phase 111, the faster the vaporization rate (ie, the greater the amount of vaporization), the faster the droplet generation phenomenon. can only be Also, the vaporization rate of the liquid phase 111 is usually influenced by the electric power (or heating temperature) supplied to the heating element 14 . Therefore, the droplet generation phenomenon and the amount of atomization have a very close relationship with the power supplied to the heating element 14 .

4 and 5 show experimental results of the relationship between the supply power of the heating element 14 and the droplet generation phenomenon and the amount of atomization. In addition, Table 1 below shows the characteristics of the wick used in the experiment.

division Characteristic value (error) Permeability (m ² ) 3.2x10 ^-5 (±1.0x10 ^-5 ) Porosity (%) 38% (±1.4) Capillary diffusion coefficient (m ² /s) 1.24x10 ^-5 (±9.96x10 ^-7 )

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 , it can be seen that as the supply power increases, the number of generated droplets increases exponentially and the amount of atomization increases linearly. In addition, when the supplied power exceeds the critical value, it can be confirmed that the vaporization rate overtakes the absorption (transport) rate of the wick 12 and the wick 12 enters a non-saturated state (ie, a state in which the liquid phase is not sufficiently absorbed). can For reference, the non-saturated wick 12 is easily carbonized by the heating element 14 and may cause a burnt taste during smoking.

In summary, the supply power of the heating element 14 is closely related to the droplet generation phenomenon and the amount of atomization. If the supply power increases, the droplet generation phenomenon can become a serious problem, and in the opposite case, the droplet generation phenomenon Although this is not a big problem, it can be seen that the reduction in the amount of mist can be a problem. Therefore, it can be seen that the more aerosol generating devices that operate with higher power require a design to prevent generation of droplets. In addition, since the aforementioned droplet generation, pipe clogging, and droplet discharge phenomena are all causes of reducing smoking satisfaction in the aerosol generating device, it can be seen that a design capable of preventing these phenomena is required.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent pipe clogging and liquid droplet discharge through the structural design of the air flow pipe 15 or the vaporizer 1. Hereinafter, FIGS. Please refer to it for a detailed explanation.

6 is an exemplary configuration diagram illustrating a vaporizer 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. For clarity of the present disclosure, descriptions of overlapping contents with those described above will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6 , the vaporizer 1 may further include a liquid absorber 151 disposed on an inner wall of the air flow pipe 15 . Although FIG. 6 shows that one liquid absorber 151 is disposed as an example, the number of liquid absorber 151 may be two or more.

The liquid absorber 151 absorbs the liquid phase 111 adhered to the inner wall of the airflow pipe 15 and discharges it in the direction of the wick 12, thereby forming or growing a liquid film (114 in FIG. 3) on the inner wall of the airflow pipe 15. that can be prevented For example, the liquid absorber 151 may function as a kind of drain in the air flow pipe 15 . As the formation and growth of the liquid film are suppressed by the liquid absorber 151, the clogging of the tube and the discharge of liquid droplets can be prevented in advance.

The liquid absorber 151 may be preferably made of a material that easily absorbs liquid. For example, the liquid absorber 151 may be made of a hydrophilic material or a porous material. Examples of such materials include filter paper, fibers, and the like, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the disposition position, disposition area, and/or disposition form of the liquid absorber 151 may be designed in various ways.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6 , the liquid absorber 151 may be disposed to extend in a downward direction (e.g., the direction of the heating element 14, the direction of gravity) from a specific position on the inner wall of the air flow pipe 15. In this case, since the liquid 111 absorbed by the liquid absorber 151 by gravity is discharged downward along the liquid absorber 151, the drainage function can be smoothly performed.

In the above-described embodiment, the liquid absorber 151 may be arranged to extend near the heating element 14 . In this case, vaporization may occur at the end of the liquid absorber 151 close to the heating element 14 due to the high temperature of the heating element 14, which means that the liquid phase 111 absorbed from the top of the liquid absorber 151 moves downward. Drainage function can be further strengthened by moving quickly to At this time, the liquid absorber 151 may extend to a point where it does not come into contact with the heating element 14 . This is because when the liquid absorber 151 comes into contact with the heating element 14, the contact area may be damaged due to the high temperature of the heating element 14. However, in some other embodiments, the liquid absorber 151 may be disposed to be in contact with the heating element 14 .

Also, in some embodiments, the liquid absorber 151 may be disposed to cover part or all of the lower part of the inner wall of the air flow pipe 15 . For example, it may be arranged to extend downward from a specific position of the lower part of the inner wall (e.g. lower than the middle part) of the air flow tube 15 of the liquid absorber 151. As another example, the liquid absorber 151 may be disposed to cover the entire lower part of the inner wall of the air flow pipe 15 . According to this embodiment, by intensively arranging the liquid absorber 151 at a lower position where the liquid film is mainly formed, clogging can be prevented more efficiently.

Also, in some embodiments, the liquid absorber 151 may be disposed on an inner wall region of the air flow pipe 15 corresponding to the wide surface of the aerosol generating device 100-1. In order to provide more convenience of understanding, the present embodiment will be further described with reference to FIG. 7 .

FIG. 7 is an exemplary view of a state of use of an aerosol generating device 100-1 and a vaporizer 1 viewed from the side according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 7 , the aerosol generating device 100-1 can be used by a user in a normal tilted state (eg, a state where the angle θ with the ground is greater than 0 degrees and less than 90 degrees). In addition, since the aerosol generating device 100-1 and the mouthpiece 110 usually have an appearance that is easy for a user to bite into the mouth, the aerosol generating device 100-1 and the mouthpiece 110 are flat (i.e., It is usually manufactured in a form in which the width of one side is wider than the other side). In this case, when the liquid absorber 151 is disposed on the inner wall region of the airflow pipe 151 corresponding to the wide surface of the aerosol generating device 100-1 (e.g. the side closer to the user), aerosol condensation in the airflow pipe 15 Since the water 115 can be absorbed as it is, the absorption and drainage functions of the liquid absorber 151 can be performed more smoothly.

Meanwhile, in some embodiments, surface treatment to increase wettability may be performed on the inner wall of the air flow pipe 15 for a purpose similar to that of the liquid absorber 151 (ie, prevention of pipe clogging and droplet discharge). This is because when the wettability of the inner wall is increased, liquid phase adhesion is suppressed, and as a result, the formation and growth of a liquid film can be prevented. Hereinafter, this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9 .

8 is an exemplary cross-sectional view showing the interior of an airflow pipe 15 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 8 , surface treatment to increase wettability may be performed on at least a partial region 153 of the inner wall 152 of the airflow pipe. This surface treatment can prevent the liquid film 114 from growing toward the inner center of the airflow pipe 15, as shown, and the liquid droplets 112 introduced from the wick 12 and the aerosol condensate 113 It can be quickly discharged in a downward direction (e.g. gravity direction) without being adhered to the inner wall 152.

Examples of surface treatment may include plating treatment (e.g. electroplating), hydrophilic coating, etc., but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, the plating process may be performed with a metal such as gold, silver, nickel, copper, etc., but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Also, in some embodiments, the surface treatment may be performed such that the contact angle is less than or equal to about 30°, preferably less than or equal to about 20° or 10°, more preferably closer to 0°. . This is because the formation and growth of the liquid film 114 on the inner wall 152 of the air flow pipe can be further suppressed as the wettability increases.

Meanwhile, the surface treatment may be performed on a part or the entire area of the inner wall 152 of the airflow pipe, and the area may be designed and selected in various ways.

In some embodiments, the surface treatment area may include part or all of the lower area of the inner wall 152 of the airflow tube. For example, the surface treatment may be performed only on the lower region 153 of the inner wall 152 of the airflow pipe. This can be understood as reflecting the fact that the liquid film 114 is mainly formed at a lower position of the inner wall 152 . As another example, the surface treatment may be performed on both the lower region and the upper region of the inner wall 152 of the airflow pipe so that the wettability of the lower region is higher than that of the upper region.

Also, in some embodiments, a liquid absorber 151 may be disposed in a region where surface treatment to increase wettability has been performed. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, when the surface treatment is performed on a plurality of first areas (e.g. 155-1, 155-2) formed at regular intervals (or first areas (e.g. 155-1, 155-2)). 155-2) when surface treatment is performed such that the wettability of the second regions (e.g. 156-1, 156-2) located therebetween is higher), a plurality of first regions (e.g. 155-1, 155-2) A liquid absorber (e.g. 151-1, 151-2) may be disposed. In this case, since the effect of disposing the liquid absorbers (e.g. 151-1 and 151-2) on the drainage path is achieved, the drainage function of the inner wall 152 of the air flow pipe can be further enhanced. In addition, according to this, the pipe clogging phenomenon and the droplet discharge phenomenon can be further alleviated.

So far, referring to FIGS. 6 to 9 , the airflow pipe 15 to which a design for preventing pipe clogging and liquid droplet discharge has been applied has been described. Hereinafter, referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 , the wick 12 to which a design for preventing droplet generation is applied will be described.

10 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a multi-layered (layered) structure of a wick 12 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Although FIG. 10 illustrates that the wick 12 has a double (layer) structure as an example for ease of understanding, the wick 12 may also have a triple (layer) or higher structure.

As shown in FIG. 10 , the wick 12 may include a core part 121 and an outer skin 122 . Each of the core portion 121 and the outer skin 122 may have a single (layer) structure or a multi-layer (layer) structure.

The core part 121 may mainly serve to absorb the liquid phase 111 . In other words, the core part 121 may play a leading role in smoothly supplying the liquid phase 111 to the pores inside the wick 12 .

For the above role, the core part 121 according to some embodiments may be implemented to have a higher transport capacity than the outer skin 122 . For example, the core portion 121 may have a lower density or higher porosity than the outer skin 122 . As another example, the core portion 121 may be made of a material having higher wettability than the outer skin 122 .

The core part 121 may be made of, for example, a material such as cotton, silica, fiber, or a bead assembly. However, it is not limited thereto.

Next, the outer skin 122 may play a role of preventing liquid droplets from being generated and transferring heat from the heating element 14 to the core part 121 to ensure smooth vaporization. For example, the outer skin 122 suppresses the liquid phase 111 absorbed as bubbles rapidly grow inside the core portion 121 from being rapidly pushed out of the wick 12, thereby suppressing droplets in the wick 12. occurrence can be prevented. In addition, the outer skin 122 may protect the core part 121 from the high temperature of the heating element 14 .

For the above role, the outer skin 122 according to some embodiments may be implemented to have a lower transport capacity than the core portion 121 . For example, the outer skin 122 may have a higher density or lower porosity than the core portion 121 . In this case, the absorption of the liquid phase 111 due to the rapid growth of bubbles can be effectively suppressed from being pushed out of the wick 12, and the heat of the heating element 14 can also be well transferred to the core part 121. As another example, the outer skin 122 may be made of a material having lower wettability than the core portion 121 . In this case, the liquid phase 111 vaporized in the core part 121 is condensed again in the outer skin 122, and the problem of reducing the amount of atomization can be alleviated. In addition, since a thin liquid film, which causes bubbles, is prevented from being formed on the outer skin 122, the generation of droplets during vaporization can also be minimized.

The outer skin 122 may be made of a material such as cotton, silica, fiber, bead assembly, membrane, or non-woven fabric, for example. However, it is not limited thereto.

Meanwhile, the physical specifications (e.g. thickness) and/or materials of the core portion 121 and the outer skin 122 may vary, and may be appropriately selected in comprehensive consideration of the amount of atomization and the degree of generation of droplets.

In some embodiments, the thickness of outer skin 122 may be less than or equal to about 5 mm. Preferably, it may be about 4 mm or 3 mm or less, more preferably about 2 mm or 1 mm or less. In this numerical range, the problem of reducing the amount of atomization due to the outer skin 122 can be greatly alleviated.

Also, in some embodiments, the core portion 121 may be made of a material different from that of the outer skin 122 . For example, the core part 121 may be made of a material having higher wettability than the outer skin 122 . In this case, the amount of atomization is reduced due to condensation of the vaporized liquid phase 111 or the formation of a thin liquid film on the outer skin 122 that causes bubbles (or droplets) to be formed can be suppressed. However, in some other embodiments, the core portion 121 may be made of the same material as the outer skin 122 . For example, the core part 121 may be made of the same fiber material as the outer skin 122 .

The arrangement of the core portion 121 and the outer skin 122 may also vary, and may also be appropriately selected in comprehensive consideration of the amount of atomization and the generation of droplets.

In some embodiments, the outer skin 122 may be disposed in a form (eg, a form surrounding) the entire core portion 121 . In this case, a phenomenon in which liquid droplets bounce toward the airflow pipe 15 can be greatly alleviated.

In some other embodiments, the outer skin 122 may be disposed to cover a portion of the core portion 121 . For example, the outer skin 122 may be disposed to cover an area where the heating element 14 is disposed in the entire area of the core part 121 . In this case, the problem of reducing the amount of atomization can be somewhat alleviated, and the effect of reducing material costs can also be achieved. As another example, the outer skin 122 may be disposed to cover an area of the surface area of the core part 121 in the direction of the airflow pipe 15 (e.g., all or part of the surface area in the upper direction in the case of FIG. 3). . In this case, the generation of droplets bouncing in the direction of the airflow pipe 15 can be effectively suppressed, and vaporization is promoted in other areas, so that the problem of reducing the amount of mist can be alleviated. As another example, as shown in FIG. 11 , the outer skin 122 may be disposed to cover an area corresponding to the contact area of the heating element 14 among the entire area of the core portion 121 . In other words, the outer skin 122 may be disposed to cover only an area where the wick 12 and the heating element 14 come into contact. In this case, vaporization is promoted in a non-contact area with the heating element 14 (e.g., a gap between wound coils), so that the problem of reducing the amount of atomization can be greatly alleviated. In addition, by suppressing the droplet splashing phenomenon in the contact area where vaporization and droplet splashing phenomena occur intensively, as a result, the droplet generation phenomenon can be alleviated.

So far, the structure of the wick 12 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11 . Hereinafter, a power control method considering a droplet generation phenomenon and an amount of atomization will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 .

Each step of the power control method to be described below may be performed by the control unit 120, and when the control unit 120 is implemented as a processor, each step of the power control method includes one or more instructions executable by the processor. (instructions). Therefore, in the following description, when a subject of a specific step or operation is omitted, it may be understood that the action is performed by the control unit 120 .

12 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating a power control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. However, this is only a preferred embodiment for achieving the object of the present disclosure, and it goes without saying that some steps may be added or deleted as needed.

As shown in FIG. 12 , the power control method may start at step S10 of determining the degree of generation of droplets in the wick 12 . Here, the degree of droplet generation is, for example, the number of droplets generated per puff (number), the number of droplets generated for a certain period of time, the degree of increase or decrease in the number of droplets generated (e.g. slope, increase/decrease width, etc.), and their statistical values (e.g. cumulative value, average value). , median value, variance, etc.), but is not limited thereto, and may include all types of values related to the degree of droplet generation. In this step, a specific method for detecting the degree of influx of droplets may vary, which may vary depending on the embodiment.

In some embodiments, the controller 120 may detect the level of generation of droplets through a sensor attached near the wick 12 . For example, the controller 120 may detect the degree of flow of liquid droplets into the airflow pipe 15 through a sensor attached to the inside of the airflow pipe 15 . Since liquid droplets introduced into the airflow pipe 15 are a major cause of pipe clogging or droplet discharge, in this case, the pipe clogging and droplet discharge can be prevented more effectively. For example, when the number of droplets generated is high but the number of droplets introduced into the air flow pipe 15 is relatively small, the problem of a drop in the amount of atomization can be prevented by unnecessarily reducing the supply power. The sensor may mean any device capable of sensing liquid droplets generated from the wick 12 or sensing the formation or growth of a liquid film inside the airflow pipe 15, and the sensing method or the implementation form of the sensor is any method It is free even if it becomes

In some embodiments, the controller 120 may estimate the degree of generation of droplets based on changes in temperature, current, resistance, or voltage of the heating element 14 . Specifically, when droplets bounce off the wick 12 (e.g. when bubbles rapidly grow inside), the wick 12 momentarily reaches a non-saturated state, which causes the heating element around the wick 12 to The temperature of (14) may rise rapidly, or the current, resistance or voltage applied to the heating element (14) of the heating element (14) may be rapidly fluctuated. Accordingly, the control unit 120 may estimate the degree of generation of droplets based on changes in temperature, current, resistance, or voltage. For example, the controller 120 may determine that the number of generated droplets has increased when a change or slope of temperature, current, resistance, or voltage is greater than or equal to a threshold value.

In some embodiments, the controller 120 may estimate the degree of generation of droplets based on the change in air flow in the air flow pipe 15 . Air flow change may be detected by an air flow sensor, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. As mentioned above, since the generation of droplets will be accelerated as the vaporization rate increases, a rapid increase in airflow may be an indicator of an increase in droplets. Accordingly, the controller 120 may estimate the generation degree of droplets based on the change in air flow.

In step S20, the control unit 120 may adjust the power supplied to the heating element 14 based on the determined droplet generation level. A detailed process of step S20 is shown in FIG. 13 . FIG. 13 shows, as an example, controlling power using the number of droplets generated (e.g., the number of droplets per puff) among various indicators indicating the degree of droplet generation, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the control unit 120 ) may adjust the power by using other indicators such as the degree of increase or decrease of droplets (e.g. inclination) or additionally using other indicators.

As shown in FIG. 13 , in step S210 , the controller 120 may determine whether the frequency of droplet generation is greater than or equal to a threshold value. Here, the threshold may be set to a single value or a range of values. When the threshold is set to a value range, the controller 120 may perform power control only when the number of droplets is outside the set range.

In step S220 , in response to determining that the number of droplets generated is equal to or greater than (exceeds) the threshold value, the controller 120 may reduce power supplied to the heating element 14 . Here, the decrease in supply power may be set to a small value, because the number of droplets generated can be greatly reduced even if the supply power is slightly reduced because the power and the number of droplets have an exponential relationship. On the other hand, since the power and the amount of atomization have a linear relationship, even if the supplied power is reduced, the user may not be aware of the decrease in the amount of atomization.

In step S230 , in response to determining that the number of droplets generated is less than (or less than) the threshold value, the controller 120 may increase power supplied to the heating element 14 . In this case, since the amount of atomization is increased, a sufficient amount of atomization can be guaranteed during smoking.

In the above-described steps S220 and S230, the control range (ie, increase and decrease) of the supply power may be a preset fixed value or a variable value that changes according to circumstances, and may be set in various ways.

In some embodiments, the amount of increase and decrease of supply power may be set to the same value. In this case, power control may be performed by considering the droplet generation level and the amount of atomization in a balanced manner.

In some other embodiments, the amount of increase in supply power may be set to a greater value than the amount of decrease. In this case, since the power is adjusted in such a way that the supply power is greatly increased and then gradually decreased, power control with more emphasis on the amount of atomization may be performed.

In some other embodiments, the amount of decrease in supply power may be set to a greater value than the amount of increase. In this case, since the power is adjusted in such a way that the supply power is greatly reduced and then gradually increased, power control with more emphasis on preventing generation of droplets may be performed.

Also, in some embodiments, the amount of adjustment (increase or decrease) of the supplied power may be changed based on the result of power regulation (ie, feedback). For example, when the number of generation of droplets is not significantly reduced even though the supply power is reduced, the decrease may be set to a larger value. In the opposite case, the reduction width may be set to a smaller value. According to this embodiment, flexible power control according to the characteristics of the aerosol generating device 100-1 can be performed. For example, the number of droplets generated and the amount of atomization may vary depending on the transfer characteristics of the wick 12 or power conditions, and the power control method according to the present embodiment appropriately reflects these factors to perform flexible power control. .

Meanwhile, steps S10 and S20 may be repeatedly performed during smoking in a feedback manner. By doing so, the phenomenon of generation of droplets throughout smoking can be suppressed, and a sufficient amount of atomization can be ensured.

So far, a power control method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure has been described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 . According to the above-described method, tube clogging and droplet discharge can be minimized through dynamic power control according to the degree of droplet generation during smoking, and thus the user's satisfaction with smoking can be greatly improved. In addition, even if the power is adjusted, the user may hardly be aware of the change in the amount of atomization, which means that even if the power is reduced, the decrease in the amount of atomization is not large, and since the power control is performed in a feedback method, the reduced amount of atomization will not increase the power later. because it can be supplemented by

The technical idea of the present disclosure or contents related to the operation of the control unit 120 described with reference to FIGS. 12 and 13 so far may be implemented as computer readable codes on a computer readable medium. The computer-readable recording medium may be, for example, a removable recording medium (CD, DVD, Blu-ray disc, USB storage device, removable hard disk) or a fixed recording medium (ROM, RAM, computer-equipped hard disk). can The computer program recorded on the computer-readable recording medium may be transmitted to another computing device through a network such as the Internet, installed in the other computing device, and thus used in the other computing device.

Hereinafter, other types of aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 to which the vaporizer 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15.

14 and 15 are exemplary configuration diagrams illustrating hybrid type aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 in which liquid and solid aerosol generating articles 150 are used together. Hereinafter, the aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 will be briefly described.

As shown in FIGS. 14 and 15 , the aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 may further use the aerosol generating article 150 inserted into the inner space to generate aerosol. More specifically, when the aerosol-generating article 150 is inserted into the aerosol-generating devices 100-2 and 100-3, the controller 120 operates the heater 140 and the vaporizer 1, and the vaporizer 1 The aerosol generated in ) may be delivered to the user through the aerosol-generating article 150.

As shown, the aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3, unlike the aerosol generating device 100-1 illustrated in FIG. 1, further include a heater 140 for heating the aerosol generating article 150. are doing However, only components related to the embodiment of the present disclosure are shown in FIG. 14 or FIG. 15 . Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs may know that other general-purpose components may be further included in addition to the components shown in FIG. 14 or 15 . For example, the aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 include a display capable of outputting visual information and/or a motor for outputting tactile information, and at least one sensor (puff detection sensor, temperature detection sensor, cigarette insertion) detection sensor, etc.), and the like may be further included.

The heater 140 may heat the aerosol-generating article 150 by power supplied from the battery 130 . For example, when the aerosol-generating article 150 is inserted into the aerosol-generating devices 100-2 and 100-3, the heater 140 may raise the temperature of the aerosol-forming substrate within the aerosol-generating article 150.

The heater 140 may be implemented in any form. For example, the heater 140 may be an external heating type or an internal heating type, and may include a plurality of heating elements. In addition, the heater 140 may be an electrical resistance heater or may operate in an induction heating method.

Next, the battery 130 may supply power to the heater 140 . Since other operations are similar to those described above, further reference is made to the description of FIG. 1 .

Next, the control unit 120 may control supply power (or heating temperature) of the heater 140 . Since other operations are similar to those described above, further reference is made to the description of FIG. 1 .

As shown in FIG. 14 or 15, the vaporizer 1 and the heater 140 may be arranged in parallel or in series. However, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to this type of arrangement.

So far, other types of aerosol generating devices 100-2 and 100-3 to which the technical concept of the present disclosure can be applied have been described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15. Hereinafter, the configuration and effects of the vaporizer 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure will be further clarified through Examples and Comparative Examples. However, since the following embodiments are merely some examples of the vaporizer 1, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by the following embodiments.

Example 1

In the same manner as the vaporizer 1 illustrated in FIG. 9, a vaporizer was manufactured in which a liquid absorber was disposed on the inner wall of the gas flow pipe. More specifically, one liquid absorber extends downward from the upper part of the air flow pipe, but is disposed so as not to come into contact with the heating element, and filter paper is used as the material of the liquid absorber.

Comparative Example 1

The same vaporizer as in Example 1 was prepared except that the liquid absorber was not disposed.

Experimental Example 1: Airflow Pipe Clogging and Atomization Measurement

For the vaporizers according to Example 1 and Comparative Example 1, an experiment was conducted to measure the clogging of the airflow pipe and the amount of atomization. Specifically, the process of growth and formation of the liquid film inside the airflow tube was photographed using a high-speed camera to observe whether the airflow tube was blocked by the liquid film. A total of 100 repetitions, 80 puffs per time, were performed to calculate the probability of clogging of the airflow tube.

In addition, in order to find out the effect of the liquid absorber on the amount of atomization together, the amount of atomization was measured, and the amount of atomization was calculated as the average value of 100 experiments based on the degree of exhaustion of the liquid phase. The experimental results are shown in Table 2 below.

division Example 1 Comparative Example 1 Probability of tube blockage (%) 0 5 Atomization amount (mg) 2.19 2.22

Referring to Table 2, in the case of the vaporizer according to Comparative Example 1, the tube clogging occurred with a probability of about 5%, whereas in the case of Example 1, it was found that the tube clogging did not occur. In the case of the amount of mist, there was no significant difference.

According to the above experimental results, it can be seen that the liquid absorber can effectively prevent tube clogging. In addition, it can be seen that even if the liquid absorber is disposed on the inner wall of the airflow pipe, there is little effect on the amount of atomization.

So far, the configuration and effects of the vaporizer 1 described above have been described through Examples and Comparative Examples.

Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art may implement the present disclosure in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features. can understand that there is Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not limiting. The protection scope of the present disclosure should be construed by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the equivalent range should be construed as being included in the scope of rights of the technical ideas defined by the present disclosure.

100-1, 100-2, 100-3: aerosol generating device
1: vaporizer 11: liquid reservoir
12: wick 121: core part
122: outer skin 13: wick housing
14: heating element 15: air flow pipe
151: liquid absorber 110: mouthpiece
120: control unit 130: battery
140: heater 150: aerosol generating article

Claims (10)

a liquid storage tank for storing a liquid aerosol-forming substrate;
a wick for absorbing the stored aerosol-forming substrate;
a heating element generating an aerosol by heating the absorbed aerosol-forming substrate; and
An air flow pipe for delivering the generated aerosol in the direction of the mouthpiece and performing surface treatment to increase wettability on at least a portion of the inner wall to discharge liquid droplets and aerosol condensate introduced from the wick downward,
The wick is located in the lower direction of the airflow pipe,
The liquid absorber is disposed protruding toward the center of the airflow pipe so that the inner diameter of the airflow pipe at the lower inner wall of the airflow pipe is narrowed at the portion where the liquid absorber is disposed, and the liquid droplet and the aerosol condensate discharged in the lower direction are disposed. Absorbing the liquid phase and discharging it in the direction of the wick;
The liquid absorber extends from the lower end of the airflow tube to a point that does not contact the wick in the direction of the wick.
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
At least a portion of the liquid absorbent is made of a hydrophilic material,
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
At least a portion of the liquid absorbent is made of a porous material,
vaporizer. According to claim 1,
At least a portion of the liquid absorber is made of filter paper or fiber material,
vaporizer. delete delete delete According to claim 1,
The vaporizer is included and used in an aerosol generating device,
The exterior of the aerosol generating device includes one side and the other side wider than the one side,
The liquid absorber is disposed on the other side wider than the one side,
vaporizer. delete According to claim 1,
The inner wall of the airflow pipe includes a first region subjected to surface treatment to increase wettability and a second region subjected to surface treatment such that wettability is higher than that of the first region,
The liquid absorber is disposed in the second region,
vaporizer.

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